anecdotes of the late samuel johnson-第2部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

　Butler；　I　might　with　more　reason　be　led　to　complain　that　so　much　has　been　said　about　himself；　for　numberless　informers　but　distract　or　cloud　information；　as　glasses　which　multiply　will　for　the　most　part　be　found　also　to　obscure。　　Of　a　life；　too；　which　for　the　last　twenty　years　was　passed　in　the　very　front　of　literature；　every　leader　of　a　literary　company；　whether　officer　or　subaltern；　naturally　becomes　either　author　or　critic；　so　that　little　less　than　the　recollection　that　it　was　ONCE　the　request　of　the　deceased；　and　TWICE　the　desire　of　those　whose　will　I　ever　delighted　to　comply　with；　should　have　engaged　me　to　add　my　little　book　to　the　number　of　those　already　written　on　the　subject。　　I　used　to　urge　another　reason　for　forbearance；　and　say；　that　all　the　readers　would；　on　this　singular　occasion；　be　the　writers　of　his　life：　　like　the　first　representation　of　the　Masque　of　Comus；　which；　by　changing　their　characters　from　spectators　to　performers；　was　ACTED　by　the　lords　and　ladies　it　was　WRITTEN　to　entertain。　　This　objection　is；　however；　now　at　an　end；　as　I　have　found　friends；　far　remote　indeed　from　literary　questions；　who　may　yet　be　diverted　from　melancholy　by　my　description　of　Johnson's　manners；　warmed　to　virtue　even　by　the　distant　reflection　of　his　glowing　excellence；　and　encouraged　by　the　relation　of　his　animated　zeal　to　persist　in　the　profession　as　well　as　practice　of　Christianity。

Samuel　Johnson　was　the　son　of　Michael　Johnson；　a　bookseller　at　Lichfield；　in　Staffordshire；　a　very　pious　and　worthy　man；　but　wrong…headed；　positive；　and　afflicted　with　melancholy；　as　his　son；　from　whom　alone　I　had　the　information；　once　told　me：　　his　business；　however；　leading　him　to　be　much　on　horseback；　contributed　to　the　preservation　of　his　bodily　health　and　mental　sanity；　which；　when　he　stayed　long　at　home；　would　sometimes　be　about　to　give　way；　and　Mr。　Johnson　said；　that　when　his　workshop；　a　detached　building；　had　fallen　half　down　for　want　of　money　to　repair　it；　his　father　was　not　less　diligent　to　lock　the　door　every　night；　though　he　saw　that　anybody　might　walk　in　at　the　back　part；　and　knew　that　there　was　no　security　obtained　by　barring　the　front　door。　　〃THIS；〃　says　his　son；　〃was　madness；　you　may　see；　and　would　have　been　discoverable　in　other　instances　of　the　prevalence　of　imagination；　but　that　poverty　prevented　it　from　playing　such　tricks　as　riches　and　leisure　encourage。〃　　Michael　was　a　man　of　still　larger　size　and　greater　strength　than　his　son；　who　was　reckoned　very　like　him；　but　did　not　delight　in　talking　much　of　his　family：　　〃One　has；〃　says　he；　〃SO　little　pleasure　in　reciting　the　anecdotes　of　beggary。〃　　One　day；　however；　hearing　me　praise　a　favourite　friend　with　partial　tenderness　as　well　as　true　esteem：　　〃Why　do　you　like　that　man's　acquaintance　so？〃　said　he。　〃Because；〃　replied　I；　〃he　is　open　and　confiding；　and　tells　me　stories　of　his　uncles　and　cousins；　I　love　the　light　parts　of　a　solid　character。〃　〃Nay；　if　you　are　for　family　history；〃　says　Mr。　Johnson；　good…humouredly；　〃_I_　can　fit　you：　　I　had　an　uncle；　Cornelius　Ford；　who；　upon　a　journey；　stopped　and　read　an　inscription　written　on　a　stone　he　saw　standing　by　the　wayside；　set　up；　as　it　proved；　in　honour　of　a　man　who　had　leaped　a　certain　leap　thereabouts；　the　extent　of　which　was　specified　upon　the　stone：　'Why　now；'　says　my　uncle；　'I　could　leap　it　in　my　boots；'　and　he　did　leap　it　in　his　boots。　　I　had　likewise　another　uncle；　Andrew；〃　continued　he；　〃my　father's　brother；　who　kept　the　ring　in　Smithfield　（where　they　wrestled　and　boxed）　for　a　whole　year；　and　never　was　thrown　or　conquered。　　Here　now　are　uncles　for　you；　Mistress；　if　that's　the　way　to　your　heart。〃　　Mr。　Johnson　was　very　conversant　in　the　art　of　attack　and　defence　by　boxing；　which　science　he　had　learned　from　this　uncle　Andrew；　I　believe；　and　I　have　heard　him　descant　upon　the　age　when　people　were　received；　and　when　rejected；　in　the　schools　once　held　for　that　brutal　amusement；　much　to　the　admiration　of　those　who　had　no　expectation　of　his　skill　in　such　matters；　from　the　sight　of　a　figure　which　precluded　all　possibility　of　personal　prowess；　though；　because　he　saw　Mr。　Thrale　one　day　leap　over　a　cabriolet　stool；　to　show　that　he　was　not　tired　after　a　chase　of　fifty　miles　or　more；　HE　suddenly　jumped　over　it　too；　but　in　a　way　so　strange　and　so　unwieldy；　that　our　terror　lest　he　should　break　his　bones　took　from　us　even　the　power　of　laughing。

Michael　Johnson　was　past　fifty　years　old　when　he　married　his　wife；　who　was　upwards　of　forty；　yet　I　think　her　son　told　me　she　remained　three　years　childless　before　he　was　born　into　the　world；　who　so　greatly　contributed　to　improve　it。　　In　three　years　more　she　brought　another　son；　Nathaniel；　who　lived　to　be　twenty…seven　or　twenty…eight　years　old；　and　of　whose　manly　spirit　I　have　heard　his　brother　speak　with　pride　and　pleasure；　mentioning　one　circumstance；　particular　enough；　that　when　the　company　were　one　day　lamenting　the　badness　of　the　roads；　he　inquired　where　they　could　be；　as　he　travelled　the　country　more　than　most　people；　and　had　never　seen　a　bad　road　in　his　life。　　The　two　brothers　did　not；　however；　much　delight　in　each　other's　company；　being　always　rivals　for　the　mother's　fondness；　and　many　of　the　severe　reflections　on　domestic　life　in　Rasselas　took　their　source　from　its　author's　keen　recollections　of　the　time　passed　in　his　early　years。　Their　father；　Michael；　died　of　an　inflammatory　fever　at　the　age　of　seventy…six；　as　Mr。　Johnson　told　me；　their　mother　at　eighty…nine；　of　a　gradual　decay。　　She　was　slight　in　her　person；　he　said；　and　rather　below　than　above　the　common　size。　　So　excellent　was　her　character；　and　so　blameless　her　life；　that　when　an　oppressive　neighbour　once　endeavoured　to　take　from　her　a　little　field　she　possessed；　he　could　persuade　no　attorney　to　undertake　the　cause　against　a　woman　so　beloved　in　her　narrow　circle：　and　it　is　this　incident　he　alludes　to　in　the　line　of　his　〃Vanity　of　Human　Wishes；〃　calling　her

　　　　　〃The　general　favourite　as　the　general　friend。〃

Nor　could　any　one　pay　more　willing　homage　to　such　a　character；　though　she　had　not　been　related　to　him；　than　did　Dr。　Johnson　on　every　occasion　that　offered：　　his　disquisition　on　Pope's　epitaph　placed　over　Mrs。　Corbet　is　a　proof　of　that　preference　always　given　by　him　to　a　noiseless　life　over　a　bustling　one；　but　however　taste　begins；　we　almost　always　see　that　it　ends　in　simplicity；　the　glutton　finishes　by　losing　his　relish　for　anything　highly　sauced；　and　calls　for　his　boiled　chicken　at　the　close　of　many　years　spent　in　the　search　of　dainties；　the　connoisseurs　are　soon　weary　of　Rubens；　and　the　critics　of　Lucan；　and　the　refinements　of　every　kind　heaped　upon　civil　life　always　sicken　their　possessors　before　the　close　of　it。

At　the　age　of　two　years　Mr。　Johnson　was　brought　up　to　London　by　his　mother；　to　be　touched　by　Queen　Anne　for　the　scrofulous　evil；　which　terribly　afflicted　his　childhood；　and　left　such　marks　as　greatly　disfigured　a　countenance　naturally　harsh　and　rugged；　beside　doing　irreparable　damage　to　the　auricular　organs；　which　never　could　perform　their　functions　since　I　knew　him；　and　it　was　owing　to　that　horrible　disorder；　too；　that　one　eye　was　perfectly　useless　to　him；　that　defect；　however；　was　not　observable；　the　eyes　looked　both　alike。　　As　Mr。　Johnson　had　an　astonishing　memory；　I　asked　him　if　he　could　remember　Queen　Anne　at　all？　　〃He　had；〃　he　said；　〃a　confused；　but　somehow　a　sort　of　solemn；　recollection　of　a　lady　in　diamonds；　and　a　long　black　hood。〃

The　christening　of　his　brother　he　remembered　with　all　its　circumstances；　and　said　his　mother　taught　him　to　spell　and　pronounce　the　words　'little　Natty；'　syllable　by　syllable；　making　him　say　it　over　in　the　evening　to　her　husband　and　his　guests。　　The　trick　which　most　parents　play　with　their　children；　that　of　showing　off　their　newly…acquired　accomplishments；　disgusted　Mr。　Johnson　beyond　expression。　　He　had　been　treated　so　himself；　he　said；　till　he　absolutely　loathed　his　father's　caresses；　because　he　knew　they　were　sure　to　precede　some　unpleasing　display　of　his　early　abilities；　and　he　used；　when　neighbours　came　o'　visiting；　to　run　up　a　tree　that　he　might　not　be　found　and　exhibited；　such；　as　no　doubt　he　was；　a　prodigy　of　early　understanding。　　His　epitaph　upon　the　duck　he　killed　by　treading　on　it　at　five　years　old

　　　　〃Here　lies　poor　duck　　　　　　　　　That　Samuel　Johnson　trod　on；　　　　　　If　it　had　liv'd　it　had　been　good　luck；　　　　　　　　　For　it　would　have　been　an　odd　one〃

is　a　striking　example　of　early　expansion　of　mind　and　knowledge　of　language；　yet　he　always　seemed　more　mortified　at　the　recollection　of　the　bustle　his　parents　made　with　his　wit　than　pleased　with　the　thoughts　of　possessing　it。　〃That；〃　said　he　to　me　one　day；　〃is　the　great　misery　of　late　marriages；　the　unhappy　produce　of　them　becomes　the　plaything　of　dotage。　　An　old　man's　child；〃　continued　he；　〃leads　much　such　a　life。　　I　think；　as　a　little　boy's　dog；　teased　with　awkward　fondness；　and　forced；　perhaps；　to　sit　up　and　beg；　as　we　call　it；　to　divert　a　company；　who　at　last　go　away　complaining　of　their　disagreeable　entertainment。〃　　In　consequence　of　these　maxims；　and　full　of　indignation　against　such　parents　as　delight　to　produce　their　young　ones　early　into　the　talking　world；　I　have　known　Mr。　Johnson　give　a　good　deal　of　pain　by　refusing　to　hear　the